I'm back!

So I've been away for a while.  I headed off to Bali to turn 50 somewhere warm and tropical. It was all that I could have wished for and more. A great holiday with family and friends. Then the kicker....I got dengue fever! Bit of a downer. But I'm bouncing back, well crawling back :) what a revolting few days I had with that. Anyhow I'm through that dark tunnel and back at work, back to reality.

Here are a few snaps from Bali - they are very random as my phone that I took all my photos on has died.  Hopefully, I'll retrieve them at some point.  For now I only have the ones I uploaded to Instagram or Facebook whilst I was there.

We stayed at Villa Kukka - as the description said - ''it oozed Bali funk",  It was a fabulous haven.

The door to Villa Kukka aka paradise

Birthday girl - our first breakfast

Mosaic Marilyn in my bathroom

First Bali Kopi (coffee) of the day

View from the cabana
 

Everything was fabulous, the company, the food, the pool - I loved every minute of it. It was a dream come true. 

2014!

I'm back from my 2 week break in Victoria, staying with Mum in Birregurra. This year was pretty special as one of my sister's and 2 of my nieces were also there, along with me and my girls.  It felt very Christmassy, sitting down to a traditional dinner with a fire going, and all trooping off to church on Christmas Eve, then sipping sherry and nibbling mince pies. 

We headed up to Melbourne for a few days.  It was mostly spent eating and shopping (my girls are great shoppers and can keep going and going - I opted for refreshment stops while they kept going).

Melbourne city is fun to wander around with labyrinth like arcades full of cafes and little shops.  Alleyways full of graffiti. Sitting and people watching is the best.  I like the slightly grungy feel in these back lanes. It feels a bit more real to me than the highly polished and sophisticated shops. And there's a definite air of individuality. I felt I was escaping the cloning-like-drone-like environment I feel in Perth at shopping malls in particular, where shop after shop is the same.

Here's pics from a free installation at the Potter Gallery. The rug...

I don't think you'll ever guess what it's made from...

The cushion...

And the remnants of a dinner party...

It was terrific fun standing and taking in the amazing details...the drippy candle, half eaten after dinner mints, wine spills.  It was done by the Hotham Street Ladies - a group of 5 women from memory. 

Any guesses?

A flying visit to the Cotswolds

 

 

 

 

My second last day of my holiday was spent visiting my old flatmate from my London days, who now lives in a thatched cottage in Oxfordshire.  My sister and I caught the train down from Hertfordshire, where we had a quick flit around Oxford itself, then headed out to Cathy's house in a little village for lunch.  We hadn't seen each other for 18 years, but it felt like yesterday. Isn't that the best when that happens?  In that time she has married and had 3 children, but it still felt like we were flats mates in London 25 years ago.

 

 

 

Day in Doha - Part 2 - Sensory overload at the Souk

Just in case you're wondering if I was ever going to continue with my Doha post...yes!  Sit back and enjoy..... here is my second instalment of photos....

 

Great flooring in places

 

 

Souk fabric shops...I was not allowed in :) my sister kept me moving....

 

 

 

Perfect refreshments

 

Pet shop ... Bunnies for sale

 

Camel wool anyone?

 

 

You will never guess what this shopper is doing? She's withdrawing money from an ATM.  All of them are elaborately encased in these fantastic structures.  On my next visit I will photograph the various styles.  Absolutely brilliant ..

 

 

My fantastic nieces...so much fun...

 



 

Sweet treats...check out the nougat...yum!

Choose your weapon! 

 

Waiting for the obligatory cheese pancakes...

 

Souk colour

I so regret not buying my Arabian night slippers...

Legumes, nuts, seeds, spices, lollies....

 

 

 



 

Pipes

 

Tiles...oh the tiles...somewhere deep inside me is the burning desire to live in a Moroccan tiled mansion.  I know I was in Doha, but I see tiles and simply SWOON...

 



Building fretwork

 



 

 

Men in white, women in black

 



 

Gorgeous hats

 

 

Honestly, the vibrancy of life was so infectious...our conventional lifestyle seemed so flat amongst the night market.  I felt stimulated and excited and so lucky to be in a position to experience another culture.  It fed every creative fibre of my being.

 

A Day in Doha - Part 1

My sister Helen is currently living in Doha, Qatar for a few years with her husband's work contract, so I flew via Doha to London on Qatar Airways to stop off and glimpse her new abode and surroundings. 

It was so interesting to see such a distinctly different environment to my own.  I loved my Day in Doha, and will hopefully return for longer to explore the gulf region a bit further.

Here's a brief overview....Helen picked me up and drove me home via the camel market. What a sight! Hundreds of camels in all sizes in smallish pens. Deals were being struck on elevated platforms where the relevant parties sat cross legged or reclined on cushions.

Sadly, the heat had taken its toll on several camels.  They had collapsed where they stood in the pens. Here one had been removed to the nearest skip bin.  It was an awful, awful sight.

 

And one dead in its pen.

 

 

 

Here's where the deals were struck - on these elevated platforms.

And here's one ready to be transported to its new home.

 



My pictures don't indicate the size of the area and the hundreds, if not thousands of camels for sale.  There were also sheep and goats - they were at least housed in covered sheds so there was some shade for them.

Next on the agenda were the weekly riding lessons, held somewhere on one of the Emir's properties or estates. His stables house 100 horses!

 

I watched for a while and then went exploring...to find he had a mini zoo with a resident Oryx, the national emblem/animal.

 

 

Here are a few pics from around the complex.  I loved the Parisian lamp posts.  The whole thing felt a bit like I was on a Doctor Who setting...totally transported to a ghost town of a parallel universe as the only inhabitants were the 2 Welsh riding instructors!

 

 

 

 

 

The temperature was escalating so next stop was for a dip in the Gulf Sea.  How beautiful the water was. We lunged in.

 

 

and gave it the thumbs up!

 

 

It was getting close to lunch time so we headed to a local jaunt passing a few Qatari style fast food outlets along the way....Falafel anyone?

 

 

We escaped from the heat of the day with a siesta.  Emerging late afternoon to head to the souk. First stop the Falconry centre, where you can buy your very own bird...

 

 

 



 

and fully accessorise it with all sorts of things, including these hoods!